After the historic and unprecedented Democratic sit-in on
the House floor Wednesday June 22 to urge the House to take up what it has long
ignored – preventing gun violence – it is now up to us, people of faith, to
take this message to our Representatives.

This is a perfect time for you to let your Representative
know that ignoring the epidemic of gun violence will not protect public safety.
Every day 91 people in the United States are killed by a gun. Yet, the House
and Senate continue to act as if this is not happening because of the stifling
grip of the gun lobby.

What is more, according to Everytown for Gun Safety gun
violence is becoming increasingly used as part of hate crimes directed towards
members of the LGBTQ community as we saw in Orlando. Consider these facts:

·Data from the National Crime Victimization
Survey indicates that between 2010 and 2014, there were an estimated 43,000
hate crimes committed in the United States that involved guns.

Simple measures can greatly reduce many of the mass
shootings to which we have become accustomed. No one law will stop every
incident of gun deaths, but we can go a long way toward having a safer community,
a safer nation, a safer world. Simply put, universal background checks saves
lives. In states that require a background check for all handgun sales, there
are:

·46 percent fewer women shot to death by intimate
partners,

·48 percent fewer law enforcement shot to death
with handguns,

·48 percent fewer people killed by firearms
suicide,

·48 percent less gun trafficking, and

·52 percent fewer mass shootings.

Eighteen states and Washington, DC go beyond federal law and
require background checks on all handgun sales. Six states have passed
background check laws since the 2012 shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School,
including Colorado, Washington, and Oregon. Nevada and Maine will vote on
background checks in 2016. (Taken from http://everytownresearch.org/gun-violence-and-background-checks-in-minnesota/)

Therefore, we must take this unique time to urge members of
Congress that gun violence can be drastically reduced and they must take
leadership in making this happen.

Instructions for Letter Drop

Use this toolkit with your congregation, faith group, or
coalition and invite them to join with you in making a powerful impact.

Materials Needed:
A sign on letter adapted from the below template (you can edit it), sign on
sheet, clipboards, pens, small table (optional)

1.See the sample letter on the next page (which
can be edited). With others from your congregation or organization, read
through and modify the letter to best describe what you want to share with your
Representative for them to do on addressing gun violence. List yourself or
another point person’s contact information at the top of the letter or on a
cover sheet so you can receive the reply from the member of Congress.

2.Find your member of Congress and the address of
their local office closest to you. Visit www.house.gov
to find your Representative.

3.Work with others in your congregation or
community group to get signatures on the letter in a high-traffic area after a
worship service or event. You can send it around adult education classes,
Bible/book studies, youth groups, and college classes in addition to your
entire congregation. Ask the members you know are willing to sign first –
people are more likely to sign something when they already see other names. We
are encouraging groups to not drop it off until you are able to 10-15
signatures. The more you are able to gather, the more powerful it will be!

4.Make sure an announcement is made about the
letter in the congregation bulletin, from the pulpit, and through social media.
The most effective way to get folks to sign is through personal invitation. You
and others should personally invite folks to sign the letter! Before you turn
in the signatures, make sure to scan them or take a photo with your phone in
order to capture the contact information for your future organizing efforts.

5.Call your Representative’s local office to
either schedule a meeting with the Representative or a staff person, or even to
simply find out the hours when they are open, so you can drop off the letters.
When you get to the office here is a possible script: "Hi, my name is [NAME] and I am a member of
[Congregation/Group] in [City]. Many of our members signed this letter to urge
Representative [NAME] to pass gun violence prevention legislation on July 5th
when the current recess is over. Will you please make sure the Representative
and appropriate staff see this letter?"

6.When you and a friend (or friends) take your
letter by your Representatives’ office take a selfie and tweet it out using the
hashtag #LetterDrop. (You can also use hashtags like #StopGunViolence or
#NoBillNoBreak as well.) That way we can see all who participate and those of
us in DC can collect the pics and use them in advocacy to get the House and
Senate moving. So, please tweet or send us your pictures!

7.Share this toolkit with key leaders from 3-4
other congregations in your area and urge them to do this as well. This will
make an impact with a number of faith communities engaged. Make sure they also
post pictures on social media! Email them this message and then call them for the
best effect. Nothing beats a phone call to get folks moving!

As members of (name
of faith community) we are
deeply concerned about the lack of progress by the Congress in addressing the
epidemic of gun violence. As the days, months, and years go by without any
action taken, more mass shootings occur and the needless loss of life
continues. We are writing to demand that action be taken to quell the terrible
epidemic of gun violence our society is suffering.

Virginia Tech, Tucson, Oak Creek, Aurora, Santa Clara, Fort
Hood, Newtown, San Bernadino, and now Orlando. The number of cities with mass
shootings spreads across the states in our nation and fills our hearts with
tremendous sorrow for the tragic and unnecessary loss of life. We are also
angry that these tragedies continue without any congressional leadership being
taken. No more time can be wasted. Gun violence is taking an unacceptable toll
on our society, in mass killings and in the constant day-to-day of senseless
deaths. It is long past time for action.

Not only are we concerned about gun violence, but it must also be mentioned
that we are concerned about the rhetoric in this debate that scapegoats our
Muslim sisters and brothers. Violence committed by people of any religious,
ethnic, or racial profile for any intention is devastating – focus on the
secretive, error-filled terrorist watch list as a substitute for meaningful gun
safety legislation is a distraction. The
vast majority of mass shootings in the U.S. have been committed by white males
whose intentions to do violence would not have qualified them for inclusion on
this list.

We need you to take action to ensure that:

Every person who buys a
gun no matter where that takes place should pass a background check. No longer should we allow for a gun
show loophole.

High-capacity weapons and
ammunition magazines should not be available to civilians. There is no
legitimate self-defense or sporting purpose for these military-style,
high-capacity weapons and magazines whose only purpose is to kill large
numbers of people in a short amount of time. We need an effective assault weapons ban now.

Public support for these measures is overwhelming. The time
for merely offering thoughts and prayers without necessary action is over.
Compromises that scapegoat a narrowly defined group of people for scrutiny is
an unacceptable distraction for a problem shared by our whole society. We need you to take action. We look forward
to working with you to enact these common-sense measures to reduce gun
violence. Our prayers are with you, our support is behind you. It is time for
you to lead.

Sincerely,

Social Media

Social media is a great way to spread the word about these
issues and to get your friends, family, and other community members involved.
Using popular social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, we
encourage you to post a picture of your letters and/or your meetings with your
Representative using #LetterDrop. If you are not able to meet with your
Representative take a picture holding up the signed letter with #LetterDrop,
and you might also use the hashtags, #NoBillNoBreak or #StopGunViolence. And,
as always, encourage your friends and family to share on social media and join
the movement!

July
4 Recess

Letter
Drop Primary Objectives

We
want everyone everywhere, regardless of what district you are in to take part
in the Letter Drop during the July 4 recess. But these are the primary focus –
if we can get numerous houses of worship participating in the letter drop in
these districts then we can make a tremendous impact. So, if you are in one of
these districts please make sure your congregation participates and you
actively recruit other congregations to participate as well. If you are not in
this district please participate as well! But if you know a faith leader in one
of these districts please pass on this toolkit and have them participate as
well.

Thursday, June 16, 2016

Using this Resource

In
this election year, it is more critical than ever to understand the mechanics
of our democracy,to reclaim the values
and the promise of our electoral process. The right to vote is being restricted
in many places, which raises questions for U.S. Reformed Christians about the
meaning of our democracy. At the direction of the General Assembly, we at the
Office of Public Witness have compiled resources to aid individual church
members and congregations to look at these questions. We hope this discussion
guide will prove a helpful template in your process of reflection and action.

This
resource can be used individually, with a church study group or class, or as a
source of sermon starters and ideas. We intend this guide to explore the links
between our call to public witness as Presbyterians and our responsibility as
Americans to demand free and fair elections. Unlike voting guides that simply
list things to support or oppose, we summarize history and practice to show
systemic patterns that need change.

We
draw on U.S. history, Presbyterian Social Witness Policy, Scripture, and other
resources to focus on the gradual and uneven recognition of members of minority
groups as full voting members of society. While some of these matters can be
challenging or frustrating, we have sought new ways to encourage real dialogue
in our congregations and communities about the lasting impacts of segregation, and
the ongoing struggles for equity for women, people of color, working people and
those unable to work. In a polarized environment, we still affirm the promise of a government “of the people, by
the people, and for the people”—for all
the people!

The Theme: Voter
Suppression in the United States

In
the 2008 PC (U.S.A.) Social Witness Policy Lift
Every Voice, the Presbyterian Church called on this country to enforce the
Voting Rights Act and to protect people and communities of color, women, the
young, people with disabilities and the elderly from targeted purges of voting
lists and other forms of disenfranchisement[1].
This policy equipped us with much needed prophetic language and practical ideas,
yet in 2013, our country entered a new era of voter suppression marked by
different tactics than in years past but yielding the same dangerous outcomes. The
Supreme Court decision of Shelby vs. Holder in 2013 reinterpreted the Voting
Rights Act, limiting the ability of the federal government to review new voting
laws put in place by the states that jeopardize minority voters. Since that
decision suspending “pre-clearance” review by the Justice Department, states
have passed voting laws that have the practical effect of discriminating
against minority communities.[2]
In an already partisan political climate, voting rights themselves should not
be a partisan issue. Rather, they are the very foundation of democracy, and if
free and fair elections are under threat, then so too is our national identity.
Recognizing this, the 2014 General Assembly called for the 2008 policy to be
updated and for the Office of Public Witness to provide a resource for study
and action.

Respect for the conscience of the individual anchors
Presbyterian reverence for the right to vote for everyone. Public service is
seen by us as a high calling, and government itself a servant and agent of the
people, accountable to all citizens. Politics as public decision-making has an
ethical purpose and benefits from laws that prevent corruption by special
interests against the common good. Weakening the rights of citizenship for some
and unfairly enhancing the power of others distort the practices and legitimacy
of democracy. As a Reformed Christian church, understanding God’s covenant to
have been opened by Jesus Christ even to “the least of these,” the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.) seeks to live out and witness to its values of love and justice
in the public sphere.[3]

The
systemic approach of denying minorities the right to vote has long been against
our expressed ideals as Presbyterians. Beginning its post-war civil rights
commitment in 1947, the Presbyterian Church, U.S. (PCUS) Assembly opposed all
organizations and individuals who aim to hinder any minorities on the basis of
creed, class or color. In 1956, the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.
(the more national, “Northern” church) called upon Christians to work to
eliminate the poll tax “and other restrictions which prevent many citizens from
exercising their legal rights at the polls” (Minutes, UPCUSA, 1956, Part I,
p.235; see also Minutes, PCUS, 1957, Part I, p.194). In 1965, the PCUS affirmed
the historic Voting Rights Act saying, “The basic purpose of the civil rights
movement should be to obtain for the Negro—and of course, for all minority
groups—justice in affairs of daily life and the right to respect as human being
under the redemptive concern of God. Jesus, by His words and life, calls us, as
his followers, to support him in the struggle…” (Minutes, PCUS, 1965, Part I,
p.159). These and other statements were not easy to make and are worth remembering
as that struggle continues in new forms.

Because the issue of voting rights is so deeply tied
to the history of racism in the US, this course of study is intrinsically connected
to the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s vision of becoming an antiracist community. This
provides us with the theological, cultural and political framework for resisting
oppression and working to overcome racism within our own life as well as in the
broader society. It means combining social analysis, institutional
reconstruction, and individual healing with discernment, prayer, and
worship-based action. This resource does not address all of the dynamics that
restrict electoral reform, including partisan redistricting (gerrymandering)
and distortions caused by the electoral college and inaction by the Federal
Election Commission. But it does look at shorter term remedies and potential
legislation that could restore voter protections intended in the original
Voting Rights Act of 1965. We encourage
readers to formulate your own ways of engaging this topic based on the
realities of your congregations and communities, and to reach out to the Office
of Public Witness if we can be of further assistance.

On behalf of a coalition of groups working toward criminal justice reform, representing a nationwide,
bipartisan-supported movement to achieve effective and just policy, we write to urge you
to oppose S. AMDT. 4082 and S. AMDT. 4083 to S. 2943, the National Defense Authorization
Act for FY 2017 (“NDAA”). These amendments that are sponsored by Sen. Kelly Ayotte (RNH),
and would widen the net of persons who could receive a mandatory minimum sentence for
possessing or distributing the substance fentanyl. The Ayotte Amendments seek to increase the
mandatory minimum sentencing requirement for the substance fentanyl, by decreasing the
threshold amount for which mandatory sentences are triggered. Our country has begun to
change course on its criminal justice policy, recognizing that mandatory minimum sentencing
requirements have done little to protect the health of American citizens or promote the safety of
our communities. Instead, mandatory minimum sentences have resulted in persons convicted of
nonviolent drug offenses receiving disproportionate prison sentences, including life sentences.
We believe the Ayotte Amendments represent a step backward toward ineffective policy that
fails to direct resources wisely, and their passage must be prevented.

Fentanyl is a synthetic, rapid-acting opiate analgesic, commonly added to heroin to increase its
potency. Because fentanyl is hundreds of times more powerful than heroin,(1) individuals high on
the international supply chain of heroin trafficking are incentivized to strengthen a diluted
product. (2) This process, whereby fentanyl is added to heroin, most often occurs before the product reaches the United States. (3) When this occurs, street-level sellers (and consequently buyers) are
often unaware of the makeup of their product and its potency.(4)

The Ayotte Amendments, in their attempt to extend punishments to low-level users and sellers,
would subject individuals who suffer from opioid use disorders to lengthy sentences originally
intended for large-scale traffickers. Under these amendments, a mere 0.5-20 grams of a mixture
or substance containing fentanyl or an analogue of fentanyl would trigger mandatory minimum
sentences of 5, 10, 20 years or even life without parole. These small amounts could be intended
for personal use and possession rather than trafficking – increasing fentanyl penalties would
result in the perpetuation of a public health crisis and the reversal of the work that has been done
thus far in shifting our nation’s response to drug use toward public health instead of harsh
incarceration.

We recognize the growing challenges around heroin in many communities, with an increasing
number of overdose deaths attributed to the presence of fentanyl.5
The government must indeed
respond to this crisis; however, in order to truly save lives and promote public safety, this
response must be rooted in evidence-based practices. Mandatory minimum sentences have
existed for heroin and fentanyl since 1986,6
yet these sentencing policies have done nothing to
prevent or address the current crisis. The Ayotte Amendments would commit a grave error by
allocating further resources toward sentencing requirements that have proven to be ineffective.

Fentanyl punishments are already harsher than those for heroin – current law requires far less
fentanyl than heroin to trigger the mandatory minimum sentences designated in 21 U.S.C. §841.
The Ayotte Amendments would exacerbate an already tenuous policy – the drug quantities for
both heroin and fentanyl outlined in §841 are not themselves based in science or expert
testimony, but rather were picked at random in an election year during an era of lawmakers being
“tough-on-crime.”

Senator Ayotte has expressed the desire to “improve efforts to get this drug off the streets and
appropriately prosecute those individuals and organizations who are profiting off of it.”7
The
Ayotte Amendments would not achieve this, but would rather incarcerate low-level distributors
and individuals who struggle with addiction. In a time when nearly 1 in 100 Americans is
incarcerated8
and populations of color continue to be disproportionately affected by convictions and harsh sentences,9
we must embrace a public-health approach to combatting the harmful
effects of fentanyl and other opioids. For these reasons, we strongly urge you to oppose the
Ayotte Amendments, S. AMDT. 4082 and S. AMDT. 4083, to the NDAA.

Sincerely,

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
AIDS Alabama
Amity Foundation
Bend the Arc Jewish Action
CAN-DO Foundation
Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice
Chicago Recovery Alliance
The CHOW Project
Church of the Brethren, Office of Public Witness
Church of Scientology National Affairs Office
Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants (CURE)
Civic Trust Public Lobbying Company
Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition
Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH).
#cut50
The Daniel Initiative
Disciples Center for Public Witness
Drug Policy Alliance
Drug Policy Forum of Hawai'i
Drug Truth Network
Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
Exodus Foundation.org
Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM)
Families for Sensible Drug Policy
FedCURE
Federal Public and Community Defenders
Friends Committee on National Legislation
The Global Justice Institute
Help Not Handcuffs
Housing Works
Human Rights Watch
Humboldt Institute for Harm Reduction
Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy
International Council of Community Churches
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Life for Pot
Los Angeles Regional Reentry Partnership
Metropolitan Community Churches
Michigan NORML
Mommieactivist and Sons
Moms United to end the War on Drugs
NAACP
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc
National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery
The National Assn of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors
(NACBHDD)
National Council of Jewish Women
The National Assn for Rural Mental Health (NARMH)
National Association of Social Workers
The National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health
NACDL
The National Council of Churches
National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund
National Organization for Women
National Register of Health Service Psychologists
National Urban League
NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
New Orleans Harm Reduction Network
A New PATH
One Million Americans, Ltd
Peace Alliance
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Public Justice Center
The Real Cost of Prisons Project
Reentry Central
Remove Intoxicated Drivers
Sensible Colorado
The Sentencing Project
St. Ann's Corner of Harm Reduction
StoptheDrugWar.org
Student Peace Alliance
Treatment Communities of America
T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights.
Trystereo
Unitarian Universalist Association
United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries.
United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
Union for Reform Judaism
Virginians Against Drug Violence
VOCAL New York
Women Who Never Give Up
334 East 92nd Street Tenant Association

On the afternoon of my first day as a summer fellow for the Office of Public Witness, I had the opportunity to attend a seminar being held by Navajo theologian Mark Charles entitled “The Doctrine of Discovery and Truth and Conciliation.” Mr. Charles began with a simple disclaimer: that his audience may not like, nor be comfortable, with what he was prepared to present. The presentation was on the history of human rights abuses against Native Americans, and as a Native American himself, Charles was visibly invested in the material at hand.

He told a counter-narrative of the “discovery” of the US and subsequent westward expansion. By his telling, the American people were not a valiant collective of righteous men and women seeking independence on both a religious and ultimately national scale. Rather, they were a band of thieves; justifying violence and genocide through twisted interpretations of Scripture, and marginalizing all those who dared contest the pursuit of an inherently racist and exclusive ‘American Dream.’

Midway through his presentation, Charles asked his audience to emote for him. He called on us to describe in a few words our emotional reaction to what he had delivered thus far, and in return was given responses ranging from ‘ashamed’ to ‘disturbed.’ When called on to respond, my first thought was to ask the very question which had racked my mind from the outset of the presentation:

How do we talk about ‘saving’ a stolen country?

It is the ongoing theme among American leaders, especially those vying for office in the current election cycle; American democracy needs saving from the corrupt figures, defective policy, and broken systems in which it is ensnared. We talk about saving our people from hunger and poverty, conflict and oppression. But how do we have that conversation, while also recognizing that the very system we wish to save is one which was originally built on injustice?

The Church faces similar challenges; our history as Christians is saturated with violence, colored with contempt for those by whom our doctrine and dogma is not shared. We have persecuted our fellow humans, committed acts of terror and violence against our fellow children of God. In which case:

How do we talk about maintaining the values of a Church which has historically wronged?

Charles’ recommendation regarding our nation’s approach to a violent history is one which I believe can be similarly applied to the Church, both within and outside of PC(USA): we need to start a dialogue. Moving on from our collective wrongdoing cannot involve the repression of the parts of our history for which we are not proud. If we are to grow and develop in our Truth, we must take ownership of the whole scope of our story. Mark Charles referred to this process as “confessing the sins of our nation” by undergoing a season of lamentation, asserting that this confrontation with Truth would serve as an outlet for healing.

One question therefore stands to be answered: will we have the courage to learn and discuss, lament and heal?

This is a guest post from Summer Fellow Shannon Schmidt. This summer, Shannon is working on international policy under our associate for international issues, Catherine Gordon. Following her fellowship, Shannon will complete her undergraduate career as a senior at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida.

About Me

The Presbyterian Office of Public Witness is the public policy information and advocacy office of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Its task is to advocate, and help the church to advocate, the social witness perspectives and policies of the Presbyterian General Assembly. The church has a long history of applying these biblically and theologically-based insights to issues that affect the public — maintaining a public policy ministry in the nation's capital since 1946.
Reformed theology teaches that because a sovereign God is at work in all the world, the church and Christian citizens should be concerned about public policy. In addition, Presbyterian forefather John Calvin wrote, "Civil magistry is a calling not only holy and legitimate, but by far the most sacred and honorable in human life."